serendipitous
/ˌsɛ.ɹɛnˈdɪp.ɪ.təs/
serendipitous · adj — by serendipity; by unexpected good fortune. It carries an Arena rating of 1813, earned across 19 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, serendipitous ranks #30 of 17,188 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #661 of 17,145 for Most Storied Words, #1,711 of 17,187 for Most Malleable Words, #3,295 of 17,147 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound.
serendipitous is pronounced /ˌsɛ.ɹɛnˈdɪp.ɪ.təs/.
Why “serendipitous” is a great word
Relating to or characterized by the happy or beneficial development of events by chance. From the noun serendipity, coined in 1754 by Horace Walpole from the Persian fairy tale 'The Three Princes of Serendip,' plus the English suffix -ous. Unlike fortuitous, which merely marks the accident, or intentional, its direct antonym, serendipitous insists on the grace note within the happenstance. It is the long-sought book found face-out on a forgotten shelf, the wrong turn that reveals a hidden meadow, or the overheard conversation that solves a problem you hadn’t yet voiced—the universe's quiet assurance that not all that is unplanned is therefore unkind.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
Etymology
From serendipity + -ous.
adj
- by serendipity; by unexpected good fortune
- good, beneficial, favorablee.g.“The weather was serendipitous for our vacation.”
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.